Ok folks; please share this with your friends and neighbours…….. We have until Thursday night to fill a large van. Collection points at Morrisons and the CO-OP in Meltham. It’s a very time-limited appeal, as the collecting bin and shopping trolley will be there for just a few days. Financial donations can be dropped off at the Crossroads Centre or Crossroads Shop. The shop will be donating a weeks takings to the Huddersfield Ukraine Association.

Below is a list of required items if you wish to donate:

Blankets (good condition)
Torches and BatteriesNappies, baby wipes and disposable gloves
Sanitary / Hygiene products
Crayons and colouring books
First aid kitsHair brushes (new)
Toothbrushes and toothpaste
Toiletries i.e. soap, shampoo
Bandages (new)
Non-prescription pain killers
Non-perishable food i.e. pasta, rice, sugar, pulses, packet soup (best before date 6 months)
Socks and underwear all age (new).

PLEASE NOTE! – No tins or baby formula and no clothes or footwear.

We are also asking people to sponsor a carton for £5. This will help with the transport costs. The easiest way to do this is by text message – text UKRAINE followed by your donation amount to 70460 e.g. UKRAINE5 to donate £5 or drop off at the Crossroads centre or shop.

Donations are being sorted on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons from 2pm at St James’ Church – Meltham Mills. Help is required if you are able to offer any, please go along and join the team.

Teams4U is a charity supported by the Meltham Shoebox Project. They are sending a lorry to the Ukraine border with Romania. Here in #Meltham, we are hoping to send a van to the Teams4U headquarters in Wrexham on Friday 11th March. Below is a list of required items if you wish to donate:

Blankets (good condition)
Torches and Batteries
Nappies, byb wipes and disposable gloves
Sanitary / Hygiene products
Crayons and colouring books
First aid kits
Hair brushes (new)
Toothbrushes and toothpaste
Toiletries i.e. soap, shampoo
Bandages (new)
Non-prescription pain killers
Non-perishable food i.e. pasta, rice, sugar, pulses, packet soup (best before date 6 months)
Socks and underwear all age (new).

PLEASE NOTE! – No tins or baby formula and no clothes or footwear.

We are also asking people to sponsor a carton for £5. This will help with the transport costs. The easiest way to do this is by text message – text UKRAINE followed by your donation amount to 70460 e.g. UKRAINE5 to donate £5.

DROP OFF POINTS ARE CROSSROADS CHARITY SHOP, MORRISONS AND CO-OP in Meltham.
WH BROWN in Holmfirth have also offered to be a drop off point for anyone unable to get to Meltham.

Thank you to everyone who has already donated and those who have pledged support, it’s greatly appreciated.

Meltham Churches Together Lent Groups start w/c 7th March 2022. All welcome to join any of the groups which will be held at the following times and locations:

Monday evenings – 7:30pm Crossroads Centre (starting 14th March)
Tuesday afternoons – 2pm St. Bartholomew’s Church
Wednesday mornings – 11am Methodist Church
Thursday afternoons – 2pm Baptist Church

Christians in many traditions attend Church services on Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, in which many choose to be marked with ash, made from burnt palm branches, in the sign of a cross on their forehead. A short and reflective service of Holy Communion with ashing will take place at St Bartholomew’s in Meltham at 7:30pm. ALL WELCOME.

UKRAINE APPEAL: You can donate today by TEXT. TEXT UKRAINE followed by your donation amount to 70460 to give that amount of money e.g. UKRAINE10 to donate £10.

We are supporting the Teams4U Ukraine appeal. T4U are our established partners of the Meltham Shoebox effort and have people on the ground in Eastern Europe and on the Polish border supplying food bags and essentials to those fleeing from Ukraine.

They are buying food and medicine for families to survive during the crisis in Ukraine.

Just £7.50 can support 1 household with the essentials!

All donations are being sent directly to their partners in the country who are doing daily distributions to the elderly, and to the women and children who are on their own, without income or support.

If you want to help, you can donate directly via the T4U website https://teams4u.com/ukraine-appeal/ or we have setup a TEXT donation scheme from the Meltham Parish.

TEXT UKRAINE followed by your donation amount to 70460 to give that amount of money e.g. UKRAINE10 to donate £10.

Texts will cost the donation amount plus one standard network rate message. You will be asked if you want to allow us to claim gift aid on your donation.

All donations we receive, plus any gift aid will be provided to Teams4U via BACS transfer.

Whilst preparing this month’s long awaited edition of the #Meltham Parish magazine, it’s great to see how much things are now starting to emerge again after the restrictions of the past two years. On the centre pages are the weekly services and Lent courses available. The Women’s fellowship at St Bart’s (pg 11) & Helme (pg 19). On the back pages, so you can see in colour the gifts received, as we say a big Thank You to Rev’d Peter Rolls for all he has done in the Parish.

Thank you to all who have contributed to this issue; it really wouldn’t be the newsletter it is without your input.
All contributions are considered both big and small.

The next deadline for the April magazine will be:
Monday 14th March 2022
Please send them via:
melthamparishmagazine@gmail.com
or
via the vicarage letterbox.
(150 Huddersfield Rd, HD9 4AL)

God Bless,
Fiona.

St Bartholomew’s Church in Meltham will be open tonight (Thurs 24th Feb) between 6:30pm and 7:30pm for a prayer vigil for the Ukraine and World situation. You can either stay for the full hour or just a few minutes or prayer.

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell have condemned the Russian attack on Ukraine as “an act of great evil”.

They are urging Christians to make this Sunday a special day of prayer for Ukraine, Russia and for peace and supporting a global day of prayer and fasting for peace on Ash Wednesday.

In a joint statement they said: 

“The horrific and unprovoked attack on Ukraine is an act of great evil.  

“Placing our trust in Jesus Christ, the author of peace, we pray for an urgent ceasefire and a withdrawal of Russian forces.  We call for a public decision to choose the way of peace and an international conference to secure long term agreements for stability and lasting peace.

“We invite Christians to make this Sunday a day for prayer for Ukraine, Russia and for peace. 

“We also give our support to the call from Pope Francis for a global day of prayer and fasting for peace on Ash Wednesday, March 2.”

Happy New Year from your #Meltham parish magazine editor!
This month I have taken the opportunity to make January and February a Double Issue! Christmas reviews in February feel very out of date and being a full time Mum with 3 young children takes a lot of work! I hope you, our valued readers, appreciate this and the work that goes into every issue being a team of 1. Besides February is a shorter month so you don’t have to wait too long till the next issue!

Thank you to all who have contributed and it’s a lovely issue full of Thank you’s and Christmas pictures. Please do note the changes to normal service patterns for the next couple of months and the various groups starting up again.

The next deadline for the March magazine will be:
Monday 14th February 2022

Please send them via:
melthamparishmagazine@gmail.com
or
via the vicarage letterbox.
(150 Huddersfield Rd, HD9 4AL)

God Bless,
Fiona.

Internet issues meant we unfortunately couldn’t live stream the service last night. However, it’s now uploaded and available for you to tune in and watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgO4izllc7k

Merry Christmas from all in the parish.

Unfortunately, St Bart’s choir have not been able to get out and about carol singing this year. However, we decided to have a quick get together in church and record us singing a few for those who have missed us. We’re hoping this captures the essence of it all the same.

So, grab a glass of your favourite tipple, sit, relax, close your eyes, and imagine they’re singing outside your door.
It’s a bit rough and ready – just like the real thing 🙂

https://youtu.be/1yH7DwmQUg8